Reflection
by cookie-dough
Summary: Peter's thoughts on the events of 'Jacksonville.' Chapter 2, Olivia's POV added
1. Peter's POV

Firstly, and most obviously, I don't own any rights to the show or its characters.

This story takes place during 'Jacksonville' and I haven't seen anything after this episode, so all of Peter's thoughts are just my interpretation of what he was thinking. This story is from Peter's POV and any quotes are taken directly from the show, I'm just filling in the blanks. I'm currently half way through Olivia's POV, so if this gets any attention, I can add it later. Happy reading.

Reflection~ Peter's POV

They had run out of time, that's what Walter had told them. There was a time when this wouldn't have bothered Peter. There was a time, when quite frankly he hadn't cared at all. But that had changed, and so had he. A gradual change, not so noticeable at first, and it had all started when she came along. She saw him for what he really was, and offered him an out. Sure the offer was more of a threat, if he didn't come back with her; some very incriminating files would be leaked to the right people. All he had to do was babysit his mentally unstable father twenty-four hours a day, all in all it depended on which definition of prison he least hated. And try as he may to keep his relationship with his father, as distant as possible, he'd come to depend on Walter as much as he had on Peter. They were a way off entering father-son bowling tournaments, but he could see a future that involved some semblance of a family. That was all thanks to Olivia, those were words he thought he'd never say, once upon a time. Yet each case they worked, every time she put herself on the line to save complete strangers, brought them closer together. She taught him to care, about the job they were doing, the lives they were saving, even each other. It was as if her righteousness was rubbing off on him, because here he was, still hoping that Walter was wrong. One last ditch effort to try and save those people, it mattered to Olivia, so it mattered to him.

He saw her silhouette through the obscured glass, and she came into view at the door way, his attention, hardly straying from the task at hand. He glanced from the computer to her and back again. "Hey. I figured if I could shut down all the non essential functions, I can make these things run faster." He empathised, pointing at the systems in front of him. He awaited a response, maybe some sort of praise, he wasn't sure, but he couldn't have predicted the next words that were to escape her lips. "It's too late...I failed...I failed and I'm supposed to be the one who can stop things like this." Suddenly the computers were the last thing on his mind. He had come to think that after all this time, he knew her, Olivia was a lot of things, but quitter had never been one of them. He had seen her push past the limits of most human beings, subjected herself to a number of Walter's tests, all for the greater good. It was the very reason they had returned to Jacksonville, returned to a childhood she had no recollection of, and although she knew it would only lead to more questions, and more pain, she had done it. He still remembered that look on her face, and those words that sounded so hollow. "I'm not afraid of anything anymore." It was that fear that she was searching for, not only to rekindle her gift, but as Peter suspected, to regain some form of normalcy in their somewhat unusual lives.

He closed the distance between them, he had never seen her look so lost, so fragile, and whispering as if afraid he would break her, he smiled, shaking his head slightly. "I've never met anyone, who can do the things that you do." He reached out, placing a soothing hand to her cheek, the human contact they had been craving. At this point he was running on instinct, there was so much between them, unspoken words and hidden desires, and in the light of their apparent failure to stop this week's catastrophe, putting themselves first seemed like the next logical step. As the distance between them grew smaller, she spoke. "Peter...I'm scared." Scared of what? That this time they were too late? That they had exhausted all of their options? Scared that this failure would lead to more? Scared for the people she couldn't save? Or was she scared of him, and what she felt? Scared that if something didn't stop them, she would give into this feeling? Either way, Peter was reassuring. "Don't be." was all he whispered, as they both leaned in. It was as if at that moment lightening had struck, and she stopped her movements, causing him to question her. "What?" Her expression was now one of realisation, and belief. It was the look she got whenever she found the answer that had evaded her till this point, and his suspicions were verified as she repeated herself. "Peter, I'm scared." He searched her eyes for some sort of explanation for what had suddenly brought on this fear, which one of the many he had listed off in his head? But it didn't matter, because she was already running from the room. His answer would have to wait, because their sudden last ditch effort was all that was stopping the death of many. Following her out the door, he rushed to where he was needed.

* * *

He stood in the hallway with the phone to his ear. He was dressed and ready to go; all that he had to worry about was Walter. Luckily his resolution hung at the other end of the line. "Yeah Monopoly's great, he loves the coloured money...okay thanks again, see you soon." Walter hovered beside him, pudding pot in hand, obviously interested in the telephone exchange. "Walter, that was Astrid, she's gonna come over and play some games with you." He watched as his father's face lit up at the mention of Agent Farnsworth. She was as close to Walter as anyone, maybe even more so, and if Peter were to guess, probably the closest thing his father had to a best friend. Peter, of course didn't count in this instance, as he was family, or so Walter would have said. He was proud of him for partaking in the social norms such as friendship, ever since he left it had been a daily struggle to adjust to the outside world. Walter spoke as he swallowed more pudding, "Hmm good. I hope she likes Monopoly." Peter chuckled at how well he knew his father.

As he made his way upstairs, it dawned upon Walter to ask why Astrid would be making this scheduled visit. "Where are you going?" Peter stopped his ascent, and looked down at Walter's questioning eyes. "Me? I'm going out for drinks." Walter's quizzical mind was getting the better of him tonight, but Peter didn't care, he kind of liked the interest he was paying. Almost like a concerned parent worrying over a teenager. "Oh, who are you drinking with?" Peter knew the reaction her name would bring; after all it wasn't that long ago Walter had suggested marriage and the prospect of her calling him dad. "Olivia." The pudding was forgotten, and now Walter wore the smile of a proud father, whose son had a date with the head cheerleader. "Agent Dunham?" he questioned, almost in disbelief, how many Olivia's did the man know? "Date?" he added hopefully. Peter smiled at the level of excitement in Walter's voice. Although it wasn't officially a date, what had happened between them earlier that night, must have had something to do with the sudden invitation for drinks. It wasn't something the pair of them had done together, drinking after a case was usually an activity he took part in solo. Olivia on the other hand, seemed more likely to hit the gym or call Rachel. He guessed he had left Walter hanging for long enough. "No, just drinks. Apparently that's what normal people do. They go out for drinks." Before Walter could bombard him with more questions, Peter finished his climb, leaving a very happy Walter in his wake.

* * *

Peter sat at the desk, scribbling with pen in hand, Walter had been hovering again, the excitement coming off him in waves. To be honest, Peter wasn't sure who was more excited, himself or Walter. "If you need to reach me, I'll leave you the number of the restaurant right here." Before Walter could speak, there was a knock at the door. "She's here Peter." Standing, he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him; Walter could barely contain his excitement. "I know, I heard it too." This new Walter was somewhat of an experience, having been raised by his mother, this side of him was interesting to say the least. "Shall I get the door?" It only took him a second to respond, tack was never Walter's strong suit, and he could only imagine the things he would say, all of them ending in embarrassment, most likely Peter's. "Absolutely not. In fact it would be my preference if you could be somewhere else altogether." It was said in jest, but sarcasm was usually lost on Walter, and as Peter neared the door, he reacted to the comment as predicted. "Oh where?" Deciding in this mood he might as well continue with his joke, he shrugged, pick a city. "Chicago?" Before Walter could respond the door was open, and Peter and Olivia exchanged greetings. "Hey" was followed by "Hey." Stepping aside he gave her room to enter. "Come on in." She was casually dressed, but what did he expect? It was drinks not prom. The one thing that did catch his eye was her hair. Usually at work it was up, out of the way, she meant business. But now it was down, making her look more relaxed, more like the Olivia who was tired of being serious and, quite literally wanted to let her hair down. They smiled at each other, as Peter casually told her his plan for the evening. Although it had been her idea to meet up, she had left the details up to him. "I know a great place; it's just a couple of blocks away, thought we'd walk?" He wouldn't admit it aloud, but he was a little nervous about tonight. He waited for an objection to his plan, but instead was rewarded with a small smile. Taking that as an okay, he left her waiting by the door. "I'll go get my coat." Although he knew Walter was eavesdropping somewhere, he was confident he could be back downstairs and out the door before Walter's mouth could get him into any serious trouble.

Grabbing his coat Peter checked his reflection once more in the mirror. A genuine smile graced his features, as he thought about the possibilities that awaited. Tonight he thought, could change everything.


	2. Olivia's POV

Again firstly, and most obviously, I don't own any rights to the show or its characters.

This is the follow up to Peter's POV, this time told from Olivia's. I had originally posted this last year as a separate story, but thought that it might flow better added as a second chapter, plus it's easier to find. Once again this is set during 'Jacksonville', and when I wrote it I hadn't seen beyond the episode 'Peter', so all thoughts are my interpretation, and quotes are directly from the show. I had more trouble writing from Olivia's POV for some reason, and wasn't entirely sure if it flowed as well as it could, but if anyone is still reading this, I'd love to get your feedback.

Any mistakes are my own as this has not been beta-ed. If you love it or hate it, let me know.

* * *

Reflection ~ Olivia's POV

It should have worked. It always had in the past. Whenever they had hit a dead end, there was always a test or drug induced state that she would subject herself to, in order for them to move forward. But this wasn't like the last time, or the time before, this was where it all began. The Cortexiphan trails. The ones she had no memory of, and in all honesty the ones she didn't want to remember, especially after what she had learnt about them so far. But she had given in to Walter and his tests, and returned to Jacksonville and the drug that had started it all. Peter had been against the idea from the start, but then again he usually was, anything that involved her placing her life in the hands of Walter Bishop was likely to be met with resistance. But given the severity of the situation, she had found herself strapped to a chair with needles in her arms.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She knew of Peter's reluctance to help, because of the affect it would have on her, but she was grateful he had chosen to stay, as he always would. And she felt safer with him there, she was all about doing what was needed for the job, but it was reassuring to have him there, ready to stop Walter if it ever came to it.

"When you're under, the drugs will generate an obstacle. I can't tell you what it will be, it will be uniquely yours."

She had no idea what to expect, even with Walter's step by step guide, but when she asked that scared little girl her name, she found her answer. "Olive." The obstacle had been her younger self, the one Walter had later watched on the old video of his heyday. The girl that had been so scared, that she had started a fire with her mind just to protect herself. Olive was the scared little girl she had to find within if they were to have any chance of stopping the death of many.

* * *

She had walked the corridors of the day care centre, her earlier conversation with Peter springing to mind. "I have a freakishly good memory, I remember everything. But this, there is just nothing that is familiar." After everything she had gone through, she still sought that familiarity, something that would jog her memory. Something that could help her connect to the child she once was. As she passed door after door, one eventually caught her attention. Its small safety glass window was cracked, and as she approached, for a fleeting moment she could smell smoke. Pushing open the door she searched for a light switch, flipping it on she found herself in the room from Walter's video. Her room. Just like in the video the room was charred apart from one corner, the one Olive had been cowering in. Trying to reconnect with the young child she mimicked her actions, sliding down the wall to a crouch. She was only alone with her thoughts for a few seconds, yet all she could think about was how Walter and William Bell could have subjected children to these experiments? She heard his footsteps, and Peter stopped in the doorway. She wondered if Walter had ever experimented on his own son, and if he did how he could live with himself? Defenceless children they didn't know was bad enough, but to do it to your own son, to betray Peter, his own father, a man he trusted and looked up to was just as bad in her books. Peter took in their surroundings, shock written across his face, at what she assumed he could only have imagined had happened in this room at the hands of his father. She saw the effect Walter's work had had on Peter, and how hard he had worked to try and fix what they had broken. He seemed to take the blame upon himself. Whether it was because he believed Walter was in no state to take responsibility for his actions or not, Olivia wasn't sure. All she knew was that Peter was a good man.

"Hey." He'd said in greeting, and as he gazed around the room, he looked almost afraid to ask his next question. "Is this part of Walter's test?" She knew it hurt him to believe that his father had caused her this pain, but honestly she was hurting far too much to comfort him, all she could muster was a small shrug. She could tell he was worried about her, and as he asked her "are you all right?" for the first time in a long time, she answered truthfully, because at this point what did she have to lose?

"No" she replied shaking her head. She was far from all right, emotions were what made us human, and Walter and Bell had taken that from her, she felt lost, without meaning, numb. "I'm not afraid of anything anymore." A life without fear, some would say would be a good thing. Fear was a weakness, something that could easily break you. But Olivia was one to go by gut instincts, and now she realised, without fear she could not truly understand the very things they were fighting. And if she couldn't understand it, how could she ever come to stop it?

* * *

Walter had told her they were out of time, and now she stood in the corridor waiting for the answer to arrive, as if from thin air. But for the first time she found herself unable to find a solution. It was her job to figure these things out and here she was close to tears. She needed to talk to someone, the only person she could let her guard down around. She walked to the doorway where she could see him working away. Even Peter hadn't given up yet, but here she was lost with not a clue how to fix things.

"Hey." He looked up briefly from what he was doing, and then back to the computer as he continued to push buttons. He could have been launching a space shuttle for all she knew, and it dawned upon her how much of an asset Peter was to the team, and to her. He was always there for her, he understood her need to right the wrongs, and she was sure that a small part of him was continuing their efforts, however failing, because of her. Or so she liked to think.

"I figured if I could shut down all the non-essential functions, I can make these things run faster." So that's what he was doing. If she could she would have smiled, despite everything he hadn't given up. But self-realisation had her doubting everything, and before she could stop herself, she was letting go of that pent up failure.

"It's too late...I failed...I failed and I'm supposed to be the one who can stop things like this." She needed him, needed reassurance that things would be okay, even if it was a lie, she just needed to get passed this feeling. He left the desk, approaching her with a smile of disbelief and a shake of his head. She didn't know what he was going to say, she just hoped it helped. But there was something in the way he looked at her, that made her aware of their sudden proximity.

"I've never met anyone, who can do the things you do." It was heartfelt and genuine, and as he placed his hand against her cheek, she found her heart rate accelerated, she was nervous. They were out of time, somewhere in the city a building and its occupants were about to disappear, but at that moment, as Peter looked her in the eye, so intensely, for a moment that feeling was replaced.

"Peter...I'm scared." But this time she was scared for a completely different reason, a reason that up until now had never been so out in the open. As if sensing this he replied, "Don't be." As he leaned in she followed, so long she had gone without that kind of contact, and now she was afraid, of what could happen or what wouldn't happen if she pulled away now.

It was then, with her heart pounding in her chest that she realised what she had said. Stopping, realisation evident in her features, Peter questioned her. "What?" It was like a weight had been lifted and she could finally see what had been hiding.

"Peter, I'm scared." She couldn't waste a second, running to the roof she searched for the building. She felt a pang on guilt as she thought of Peter, left by himself when it was obvious to both of them what was about to happen. She would talk to him later, but first she had people to save. As she scanned the city, Walter's words echoed in her mind. "Someone once described it as a glimmer."

* * *

Disaster averted. But this one was a little too close for comfort, and Olivia hoped that it would never come that close to the wire again. She had scanned the city and at first didn't believe what was before her, one building surrounded by many had taken on that glimmer, and she had followed that light like a beacon. She had held on for dear life as the hotel had shaken and disappeared from sight, the whole time telling herself, not today. Today would not be the day she died, there were so many things left up in the air, so many answers she needed, and not just ones connected to the Fringe Division. Something had happened between her and Peter, and she promised herself, if she made it out of this one she would talk with him, or at least go for drinks. And that's what had led to this moment, in which she was actually nervous about what she was wearing. She had called Peter earlier and suggested some post case drinks, after the days they had had both could use it. She did, however, mention that it would just be the two of them, after her run in with Walter it seemed logical that she wasn't ready to trust him that easily again, and Peter saw no problem with it. So why was she so nervous? She had decided on causal black, and as she pulled her ponytail from inside her jacket she stopped in the mirror. She was always so serious at work, including her appearance, tonight she wanted to let go, and a part of her wanted Peter to see this other side of her. The relaxed side, the fun side. Making her decision, she pulled the band from her hair, shaking it loose, smiling at the thought of what tonight could bring.

She stood nervously outside of his door, she had been in the car for over five minutes, trying to work up the courage to knock on the door, and now she was here she took a deep breath. She raised her hand and knocked, smiling as she heard Peter's voice from inside. She assumed he was talking to Walter, probably warning him to be on his best behaviour. The door opened and she was cast into the artificial light of the hallway. "Hey." He said as he opened the door, and she replied in kind. It took a while for her eyes to adjust to the brightness and Peter stepped back to allow her in.

"Come on in." She smiled as he closed the door behind her. But suddenly something was wrong; Walter's experiment had backfired, because she could think of no other explanation for what she saw. Peter was glimmering. It took all her efforts to hold back the tears that were fighting their way to the surface, something had gone horribly wrong, because there was no way Peter was from the other side. This was their Peter, her Peter, she would have known if they had somehow switched, she knew him. But then her earlier thoughts came flooding back, had Walter ever experimented on Peter? She realised that Peter had been talking and she hadn't been listening, she barely heard Walter call her name, and just managed to work out that Peter had gone upstairs for his coat. This was too much, surely Walter could fix this, and then she and Peter could go for drinks and everything could go back to the way it had been just moments before, when all she had to worry about was whether or not Peter would kiss her by the end of the night.

Now Walter stood before her, she made no move to hide the fact that she was close to tears, and she could only hope that what he would tell her was not the very thing she had been thinking.

"Olivia. Please don't tell him." And at that moment the world came crashing down around her.


End file.
